"Our study is the first to examine a potential cue to attention that humans do not have: the ears," said Jennifer Wathan of the University of Sussex, according to a news release. "Previous work investigating communication of attention in animals has focused on cues that humans use: body orientation, head orientation, and eye gaze; no one else had gone beyond that."
"However, we found that in horses their ear position was also a crucial visual signal that other horses respond to. In fact, horses need to see the detailed facial features of both eyes and ears before they use another horse's head direction to guide them," said Wathan in a news release.
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Study: "Flexible Ears Help Horses Communicate"
"According to researchers at the University of Sussex, horses are sensitive to not only facial expressions of other horses, but also to their eye and ear movements. The keen sense of observation helps these animals remain cautious of predators."
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12 comments:
Beware a horse with lips drawn and teeth exposed.
Horses are some of the most intuitive animals. They can read a rider as soon as you get on them. They know if you're anxious, angry, sad, etc. Some horses will take advantage of your mood, but many are kindhearted and will try and help your negative mood. I'm not a rider, just a bettor, but love to talk w/ riders, jockeys about these great animals.
Anyone who knows horses well, knows how to read their body language (ears being just part of it). This is standard 4-H and FFA stuff (go to a county fair).
People are often weirdly surprised when things we notice are also noticed by others.
Or is it that scientists aren't socially intelligent so don't pick up on social cues that most every other mammal can pick up?
If I was riding on the subway everyday, I think I'd feel happier if I had to watch horses communicate with their ears.
People are often weirdly surprised when things we notice are also noticed by others.
I'm thinking those scientists need to get out of their sterile cubicles once in a while. Like Evi said. Go to a county fair. People who have been around animals for generations...you know...lowly farmers....have known this stuff forever.
Or....filed under..."More information from the ministry of DUH."
Everybody who saw "Sex in the City" knows that.
""More information from the ministry of DUH.""
I guess the piece yesterday about eliminating predators was issued by the same ministry. I did not follow the link, are we sure it was not satire?
"Beware a horse with lips drawn and teeth exposed."
I think I read that on a fortune cookie once.
I was walking the dog in the park the other day and had a mini-conversation with some guy (walking in the opposite direction) as about a half-dozen, maybe eight, riders on horseback passed by.
HIM: Big animals.
ME: Good thing they're our friends.
HIM: If they weren't, they'd be gone.
Not bad, I thought. It's not often you get a clever quip from a stranger.
The riders were all women about age 30. They were all dressed like they were doing CrossFit or something.
Black yoga pants. Flourescent lycra tops and sports bras showing off their cleavage.
Whatever happened to jodhpurs, riding boots and those tailored blazers, was my thought, just as soon as I stopped thinking about their jugs.
The average NYC subway hanger can read the body language of the crazies on the car and know in a split second which ones are harmless, which ones merit further monitoring, and which ones are flat out dangerous.
So it is all relative.
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